January 6^th 2019.  The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord

GOSPEL   Matthew 2, 1-12

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

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GOSPEL   Matthew 2, 1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod, 
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, 
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, 
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly 
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word, 
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, 
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, 
they departed for their country by another way.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . The Magi followed that which was heavenly and beautiful. How many people in history have been led to great discoveries by fixing their eyes on that which was noble and beautiful! It is striking that these men travelled with their eyes on the heavens. The alternative is to behave like the serpent in Genesis 3 and crawl on the ground, eating the dust of the earth. In life, we can fix our gaze on what is base and earthly, or we can raise our eyes to what is heavenly. However, the pursuit of that which is noble and good can only lead so far. The Magi end up in Jerusalem, the city of the promises of the Lord. Here they encounter a different kind of illumination, the illumination of divine revelation through the people of God and the scriptures. The Magi are told that scripture foretells that the king will be born in Bethlehem. Now the star and the scriptures coincide in leading the wise men to the stable where they find the mother and child. They are so overjoyed that they give him everything they have. The gold is their wealth; the incense is the perfume of their honour; the myrrh would have been reserved for preparing their bodies for death. So, in effect, that give him their wealth, their honour and their future plans. They have received so much in return that anything they give will seem little in comparison. And this journey of the Magi is our journey too. We must follow the things that inspire us with their nobility and their beauty. We must be obedient to the indications of scripture. Beauty and revelation will thus lead us to Christ, and when we behold him we too will want to give him everything that we have.

The Magi followed that which was heavenly and beautiful. We too must stick tenaciously to that which is beautiful, noble and heavenly

This Sunday coincides with the Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the manifestation of the Lord to foreigners who have come from afar, from a place that has no connection with the promises that were made to Israel. The journey of the Magi is the journey of one who has followed a path that has led to none other than the main objective of life, the King of kings. How did they find their way? They were astronomers and their expertise consisted in studying the stars. They had great knowledge but this star that rose was something they had never seen before. It was something beautiful, attractive, surprising. And this is how things should be with us. If we are struck in the heart by something that is authentically beautiful, then we should know that this is not something that has happened by accident. When we are struck by that which is noble, that which is heavenly, that which lifts our gaze upwards, then we should not take our eyes off that thing, just as the Magi kept their eyes fixed on the star. How many times people have been led to the Lord because they kept their gaze fixed on that which was beautiful and important! When we stick tenaciously to that which counts, we are led to what is wonderful and authentic. Many figures in history have been led to discoveries that were important for all of humanity because they followed tenaciously that which was beautiful and heavenly.

We can follow what is noble and valid, or fix our gaze on what is base and worldly

What does it mean to follow a star? Celestial phenomena like eclipses can be seen better from some locations. This explains the movement of the Magi. They want to see this beautiful star from the best position possible, and this leads them to their destination. It is a striking thing that they travel with their eyes fixed on heaven. Is there any other way of travelling? In Genesis 3, we hear of the serpent who moves on his belly along the ground. Many people move on this base level, slaves to impulses and desires, things which lead them figuratively “to eat the dust of the earth” instead of living according to the things of heaven. The manifestation of the Epiphany is for those who lift their chins and look towards the heavens to that which is noble.

Pursuing that which is noble and beautiful is not enough. Like the Magi, we also need divine revelation, that which has been revealed to us through the people of God

The path of the Magi, the pathway of heaven, leads to Jerusalem, the holy city, the city of David, the city of the promises. Beauty by itself, in fact, is not sufficient. That which the human being comprehends is only the beginning. The Magi discover the people of God, and a different form of illumination – the scriptures, the prophecies. We are not the first to follow the path of that which is true, beautiful and good. So many before us have discovered the centre of existence. God has spoken to so many people before us through the scriptures and human experience. The Magi discover that there has been a whole antecedent story of revelation through the Jewish people. The next steps of the wise men will be to follow the indications of the people of Israel. They obey the indications revealed to them from the scriptures and they discover that the star and the scriptures both lead to the same place, Bethlehem. The beauty that stirred their hearts (the star) and the scripture that reveals the promise coincide at the same ultimate destination, a shed where a woman has given birth to a child. This new-born life has been signalled by the presence of the star and the indications of scripture, leading to the great joy of the Magi.

The Magi give the child everything, the gold of their wealth, the incense representing the perfume of their honour, and the myrrh which they would have reserved for the preparation of their bodies for burial. Wealth, honour and future plans – all given to the Lord because he gives us so much more in return!

This child is a gift from heaven and is to be adored. The Magi bestow on this child whatever gifts they have at their disposal. What they have received is so great that whatever they can give in return will seem little. The gifts that they give are not really to be understood in terms of the necessities of the child, but in what they themselves have to offer. The gold constitutes their worldly wealth. Incense is, in a sense, the perfume of their glory, the mark of their honour, and this they lay down before the child. Myrrh is used for the preparation of a body for a funeral. The Magi entrust their deaths to the Lord. They have received so much from this baby that they can give him everything, even that which pertains to their most final plans and strategies on earth. Gold, incense and myrrh - possessions, roles and strategies – the Magi give the child everything because they know that they receive much more in return. This is the journey of the wise men and it is also our journey: to follow beauty and scripture, to obey their indications and to arrive at the gift that the Lord Jesus is, and then to discover that we can give him everything because from him we have received much more.